In 1994, “The Lion King” swept the
box office, grossing more than $783 million worldwide, and emerged as the most
successful film released that year. It went on to win countless awards,
including “Best Original Score”, “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy”, and
“Best Animated Feature”. The commanding feature of the film was its music,
which won a Grammy award for the song “Can you Feel the Love Tonight”, by Elton
John. The lovable, yet often emotional music, coupled with a prodigious cast jam-packed
with stars such as James Earl Jones, resulted in an animated masterpiece that set
the precedent for animated films.
Many
songs in the movie are fun and energetic, such as “Hakuna Matata”, while others
render a more serious and solemn tone, such as that of “Can you Feel the Love
Tonight”. One song that offers a tear-jerking, yet uplifting tone is “The
Circle of Life”, which is voiced by Carmen Twillie, with African vocals by Lebo
M and his African choir. It serves its purpose within the movie, which is to
send the audience on an emotional journey filled with joyous and melancholic tears.
But within its apparent purpose is its deeper purpose, which is to presents a
spiritual slant on our life journey and that of the animated characters.
Like
the title of the song states, the idea of a “circle of life” is underscored in
the song. Mufasa, the king of the “pride lands” of Africa, explains the circle
of life to his son in saying that “When we die, our bodies become the grass,
and the antelope eat the grass. And so we are all connected in the great Circle
of Life” In the song, this can be seen when the narrator explains that there “is
more to do than can ever be done” (1:07), and more “to find than can ever be
found” (1:18). Because not everything can be completed in one lifetime, it is
important to avoid wasting time.
Juxtaposed
with the lyrics of the song are sounds that uplift and soothe the senses,
sending the audience into a trance. The song is introduced by steady tribal
chanting and the repetition of the same group of words, "nants ingonyama bagithi baba", which immediately
conveys a spiritual association with the song. Along with spiritual tribal reverberations,
the repetition and word placement of the phrase `circle of life' in the first
and last lines puts emphasis on the continuity of life. Within the song,
drumming in the background ads a steady, yet increasing pace to the song. As
the song approaches its conclusion, the combination of drums, vocals, and an
increased volume results in an uplifting sense of hope and optimism.
Just
like how the sun rises and falls, life has its ups and downs. Indeed, there are
times when a situation may seem like it will never get better, but as the song
states, it is all part of the “circle of life”.
Brandon, only according to the loosest definition of "music video" would this be considered one. This strikes me as more of a clip from a movie, or maybe mashed-up clips from a movie. Regardless, I am pretty sure that the animators and musicians did not intend for this to be a "music video." This is a classic example of the varying contexts of communication. You do not account for that, which is a bit odd. Therefore, I don't have much to offer about your analysis. Because the animation in the "music video" first appeared in a classic film, I'm not sure what you are analyzing, the movie or the supposed "music video." Weird.
ReplyDeleteRegardless, you do write fairly well. There are some things I would like to point out. First, you refer to "emotional music." As I have said numerous times in class, I recommend avoiding the identifier "emotional," because I think it is a vacuous adjective - unless you qualify it. You do a nice job qualifying it the second time you use the adjective "emotional." You write about the "emotional journey filled with joyous and melancholic tears." This is better because you specifically explain what the emotions are.
There are a couple other awkward sentences, that slightly detract from your credibility. As a general rule of writing, I would not explicitly tell your reader about "deeper purpose." You write, "But within its apparent purpose is its deeper purpose." Also, I'm not sure what this sentence means, "Like the title of the song states, the idea of a 'circle of life' is underscored in the song."